Image:Tidal-forces.png
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
No higher resolution available.
Tidal-forces.png (400 × 400 pixels, file size: 15 KB, MIME type: image/png)
| This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons. The description on its description page there is shown below.
|
 |
This image should be recreated using vector graphics as an SVG file. This has several advantages; see Commons:Media for cleanup for more information. If an SVG form of this image is already available, please upload it. After uploading an SVG, replace this template with template {{Vector version available|new image name.svg}} in this image. |
|
العربية | Български | Català | Česky | Dansk | Deutsch | English | Esperanto | Español | Français | 한국어 | Italiano | Magyar | Lietuvių | Nederlands | 日本語 | Polski | Português | Română | Русский | Suomi | Svenska | Türkçe | Українська | Tiếng Việt | मराठी | 中文(繁體) | 中文(简体) | +/- |
|
Diagram of tidal forces.
The upper picture shows a small planet and the red arrows show the gravitational forces attracting it towards a much larger planet off to the right. Since gravity is proportional to 1/R^2, the forces to the right are slightly larger than those at the center, which are slightly larger than those at the left.
The lower picture shows the forces when a constant offset corresponding to the force at the center has been subtracted from all forces. The central force is then, of course, zero. A small force remains towards the right, directed rightwards. A small force, directed leftwards, remains at the left. This is why (perhaps somewhat counter-intuitively) tidal forces lead to a bulge on both sides of the smaller planet.
Created with photoshop.
Source: downloaded from English Wikipedia (en:Image:Tidal-forces.png)
Author: en:User:William M. Connolley
File history
Click on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time.
| Date/Time | Dimensions | User | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| current | 17:54, 14 February 2005 | 400×400 (15 KB) | RuM | (image from english wikipedia) |
